


It Always Comes Back to You

by StellaLuna34



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad Flirting, Denial of Feelings, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-22
Updated: 2019-11-22
Packaged: 2021-02-17 21:36:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21516847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StellaLuna34/pseuds/StellaLuna34
Summary: Being alone has always been something Qrow had to force himself to be comfortable with. He knew it was better for everyone if he did things on his own, but when he's forced to work with Clover, the leader of the highest ranking team in Atlas, it causes Qrow to question it. It doesn't help that Qrow's heart quickens whenever Clover is around, and the fact that Clover has a semblance that mirrors his.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 14
Kudos: 229





	It Always Comes Back to You

[A/N: Sorry for any grammatical errors!]

The silver rings on Qrow’s hand clinked quietly as he slipped one of the rings on and off his finger. He could hear the sound, but he doubted anyone else could by the hum of the airship. Ruby’s excited squealing, however, was louder than the airship. She was sitting to his left and across from Jaune, Ren, and Nora, and they all were still buzzing at how well the Ace Ops worked together. As much as he tried to focus on the conversation, his mind kept drifting to the leader of the Ace Ops, who sat on his right. Qrow’s eyes glanced slightly to his right to see Clover slightly grinning at Ruby’s fascination over their weapons. Despite Clover seeming relaxed, he sat with perfect posture, and Qrow sighed to himself for leaning on the wall. He knew small details like that shouldn’t bother him, but it did, and it was being added to the long list of what Qrow should have been. 

_‘Lucky you,huh?’_

He knew Clover meant no harm by it, but it still stung. It was a slow burning sensation in his throat that had spread to his chest as it increased in intensity. At first, Qrow brushed it off, but the thoughts only metastasized once he realized why Ironwood paired them up. He knew Ironwood didn’t mean anything personal, but it sure felt like it. Clover was there to even out the playing field, and to make sure nothing went wrong. Then again, that was Ironwood. With the situation they were in now, he couldn’t afford a slip up, especially in a dust mine like that.

It was another stark reminder of why he worked alone.

The sound of Ruby and the others laughing flung him out of his thoughts. He scanned the room bright smiles and excitement glittering in everyone’s eyes. 

“I take it you’re not much of a jokester?” A familiar voice asked from his right. As he turned his head, his eyes locked with Clover’s, and they reminded him of the green sea glass he used to bring home to Ruby and Yang after a mission. 

“Sorry. I must of missed it.” Qrow replied as he popped his knuckles. He could see the questions churning in Clover’s eyes, but his expression revealed nothing. 

Part of him ached at he glanced at Clover. The man sitting next to him was a leader, a strong and skilled huntsman, and a person with a more fortunate semblance than him. One that didn’t weigh him down or affect the people he loved. Qrow had capped and sealed the aching it brought, but he could feel it bubbling back up. 

He must have let some of his emotions slip, because when he glanced back at Clover, he saw more questions and concern flash across his face. Qrow let his eyes wander back to his rings, which now left a light red mark from one being twisted on his finger so much.

It would’ve been easier for Qrow to dislike him if his heart hadn’t quickened at the wink Clover threw him back in the mines. It would’ve been easier if he didn’t feel the small warmth in his chest whenever they looked at each other, but it was there, stirring in his chest like a small fire.

Static buzzed in his ears as he tried to form the incoherent questions that racked his head, but he had no success. As he leaned his head back to rest on the wall, he immediately moved it once he felt the vibrations of the ship rattle his head. 

Qrow silently cursed to himself as he felt the beginnings of a headache form in the back of his head. He tried to immerse himself back in the conversation that was being held around him, but the absence of a voice caught his attention. He expected Clover to be chatting along with the others, but instead he sat with his arms crossed on his chest as he looked into the empty space in front of him. Qrow assumed his mind was occupied on what was next, and what needed to be done back in Atlas. 

He knew he had been looking for too long when Clover looked back at him with a slightly raised eyebrow and a smirk beginning to form on his lips. Warmth spread through Qrow’s cheeks as he turned his head away, hoping it didn’t look awkward. 

As much frustration as Clover stirred in him, he struggled with holding down the grin that threatened to reveal itself. 

~*~

The morning light was a lot greyer than what he was used to. As it spilled through the hallway windows, it coated the white and grey walls like fresh snow. He guessed it might have been how the school was painted, but as he looked out the window as he walked by, he saw a wall of light grey clouds blocking the sun. It was earlier than he had expected to get up, but the continuous thudding at his temple force him up. He was hoping that some coffee might help, and get his mind off another drink that could easily fix the problem.

It had officially been a whole week since he touched his flask. Once he got to his room, he tossed it in a drawer, and it stayed there since. Sometimes he opened the drawer to see it, but the thought of Ruby and Yang made him close it again. There had been times where he dialed back his drinking, but he hadn’t gone cold turkey in a very long time. To his surprise, it had been easier to ignore the cravings since they had been so busy this week, but he knew they would come back with full force sooner or later. 

As he sat down in one of the empty tables with a warm cup of coffee in hand, he heard quiet voices from the entrance of the echoing cafeteria. When he looked to the front of the room, he saw Weiss enter first, then Blake and Yang. Ruby was the last one to come in, and he could tell she was tired by how she dragged her feet and slouched her shoulders. He gave a small wave to the others as they passed by him and towards the kitchen, and Ruby plopped down next to him and sighed.

“Morning, kiddo.” He greeted as she put her head down on the table. “Sleep well?”

“I wish we could’ve slept in.” She mumbled. 

“Why didn’t you?” 

“Yang, Blake, and Weiss wanted to train before we got assigned another mission.” She sighed, and Qrow nodded as he took another swig of his coffee.

As he put the mug down, Ruby slowly reached her hand out to grab it. 

“I don’t think you’ll like it.” He commented. “There’s no sugar in it.”

Ruby frowned and she made a face of disgust.

“Who drinks coffee with no sugar?” She huffed as she sat up.

“A lot of people, actually.”

“Well I think they’re missing out.”

As Ruby pushed herself back up to a sitting position, Qrow got up from his seat and walked towards the kitchen. When he came back, he placed a warm, full mug next to Ruby. She smiled at him before grabbing the mug so her hands could warm up. She looked to him to ask a question but he intervened. 

“I know, cream and five sugars.” He chuckled. “Weiss made sure to double check before I left with it.”

When the other girls came back, Yang put down a tray with plenty of food in front of Ruby. To Qrow’s slight surprise, Yang put down some toast in front of him before sitting down next to Blake. 

“Thanks, Firecracker.” He said, and saw Blake smirk at the nickname. Yang sent him a glare, but it held no venom. He grinned and gave her a wink. 

All four girls were fully awake by the time they had finished eating half their breakfast. Once Ruby had downed half of her coffee, she was back to her usual self and chatting with her team. Even though he was sitting next to them and partially in their conversation, he knew he was the odd one out. It wasn’t a surprise, considering he was older and not a part of their team. He didn’t mind it too much though. It gave him time to his coffee and his food. 

As he picked up the last slice of toast on his plate, he heard their conversation cut off. More voices echoed from the hallway, and all five of them turned their heads to see the Ace Ops walk in. 

“Good morning!” Ruby greeted, and her team members followed suit. Qrow gave a small nod to them as he lifted his mug to take another sip. As the Atlas team passed by, Qrow’s gaze fell to Clover, and the air in his chest hitched as he realized Clover was already looking his way.

The team ended up sitting next to Qrow and team RWBY, and it took no time for both teams to start conversing. However, the leader of the Ace Ops sat silently across from Qrow. Clover was listening to the conversation as he ate something disgustingly healthy. Qrow glanced down at the table to avoid glancing at Clover, but it failed multiple times. It didn’t help that every so often he’d catch Clover looking his way. 

At some point during the conversation, both teams had turned their attention back to each other weapons again. Qrow was slipping in and out of his thoughts throughout the conversation, but all his attention was drawn back in it when Ruby directed a question towards Clover.

“So your’s is a fishing pole?” She asked as she looked to the other team leader. 

“It’s also a grappling hook.” Clover added.

Ruby sent a confused glance towards Qrow, and he smiled. 

“Ey, not everyone can handle awesome weapons like ours.” He joked, and he didn’t have to look across from him to know he had Clover’s attention. 

“Well, not everyone needs a large weapon to get the job done.” Clover remarked as he finished his breakfast.

Qrow couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

“It’s a fishing pole.”

“And?”

“Nothing, it’s just simpler than I thought it would be.” Qrow replied as he shrugged his shoulders. 

“Says the one with a three-in-one weapon.”

“I don’t know how to put this lightly, but any of the three weapons in this-” Qrow gestured to the weapon resting next to him. “-Is cooler than a _fishing pole_.”

He felt a pang of regret crawl down his spine as soon as the sentence left his mouth. However, when he looked back at Clover, the leader had a contagious smile that he was trying to hide with his cup of tea. 

“Whatever you say.” Clover laughed, and the tension in Qrow’s shoulders released. “So what weapon is up to your standards?”

“Of course these kids have the right idea with theirs.” Qrow started as he nodded to team RWBY, and all four girls grinned. “I think if you took some notes from Marrow, you’d get there.”

The younger member of the Atlas team laughed as he shot a look to Clover. The leader rolled his eyes and shook his head at Qrow. 

Qrow hoped the thudding in his chest wasn’t as noticeable as it was to him.

  
  



End file.
